Jnanpith recipient Girish Karnad will be invited to inaugurate the world-famous Dasara festivities that begin on September 25 in Mysore.
Chairing a high-level meeting in preparation for Dasara on Saturday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said an invitation letter would be sent to Mr. Karnad. He said Dasara would be a “meaningful, grand and people’s festival”. This year, Rs.12 crore will be released for the events as against Rs.10 crore spent last year.
Earlier, participating in the meeting, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Pratap Simha and Congress MLA Tanvir Sait suggested that noted writer S.L. Bhyrappa should be invited to inaugurate the function. However, Mr. Siddaramaiah said as writer Chandrasekhar Kambar had inaugurated it last year, Mr. Karnad would be invited to do so this year. When contacted by The Hindu , Mr. Karnad said it was an honour.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said the Executive Committee would request Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, wife of late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, to provide the golden howdah for the Dasara procession of Goddess Chamundeshwari. Since she was also a member of the committee, the issue would be taken up with her.
Responding to a request by Mysore zilla panchayat president Pushpavathi Amarnath to ban plastic in the city, Mr. Siddaramaiah said it would be implemented at all tourist destinations, including Banni Mantap, the zoo, art gallery, Dasara exhibition grounds and the palaces. Already Chamundi Hills has been declared a plastic-free zone. He said the deputy commissioner would issue necessary orders.
Twenty subcommittees, each comprising 25 members, which include city MLAs, would be constituted under the chairmanship of Minister for Revenue V. Srinivas Prasad. Cultural programmes would be held in Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts too. He directed Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee to inform all department heads to open stalls in the exhibition from the very first day.
Special facilities for tourists
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has promised that chartered flight services and helicopters would be introduced between Bangalore and Mysore for tourists during Dasara. He said the Golden Chariot would operate on the Bangalore-Mysore-Hassan route. Mr. Siddaramaiah announced a rebate on entry tax on all vehicles coming from other States to Mysore for a month, commencing from September 15. A new feature has been introduced this time: there will be one ticket to visit places of attraction such as the palaces and exhibition ground, and it can also be used for commuting in city buses.
